


Dueling Falcons

by Benfrosh



Series: Falcons Mate For Life [1]
Category: Suikoden II
Genre: F/F, alcohol ref, at least as far as i can tell, some language, that is a gosh darn tragedy, these two have literally zero fan material on the entire internet, they don't even exist as tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-20
Updated: 2016-05-20
Packaged: 2018-06-09 12:57:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6908182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Benfrosh/pseuds/Benfrosh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anita finally has some time to herself. Until her singular obsession, her entire driving force in life, enters the bar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dueling Falcons

Anita let out a deep breath. It had been a long, stressful day. After serving with the army and repelling the earlier assault on Dunan Castle, all she needed was a break. And now, finally, late at night in the tavern, she got one. It had completely emptied out - Riou, Flik, Viktor and Shu were off discussing their next steps after repelling the Highland assault, and the rest of the usual crowd was fast asleep after the battle. The Highland Forces were a menace in combat, to be sure, and people needed time to recuperate from their wounds. So it was just Anita and this bottle of wine.

How the wine got here was a story in itself. Anita acquired it while on her training travels. A 'master swordsman' supposedly from Kanakan had challenged her to a duel to prove his mastery over the students of Roundier, so she demanded that he bet something on the duel. He refused at first, but as the two of them were outside the Gregminster pub at the time, a crowd had formed around them while they bickered. The crowd started up a betting pool of their own, with the tavern owner throwing in vintage wine from the early years of the Scarlet Moon Empire. It was honestly that more than any contest of skill that motivated Anita to win the duel.

Anita laughed, reflecting on it. Not much motivated her to excel nowadays, honestly. Serving with Riou's army had been exciting and skill testing to be sure, but the only thing that really drove her, pushed her onward, was -

"Drinking alone again, I see? You never change, do you."

Anita's pulse quickened. She knew that voice. She knew it almost better than her own. Without looking behind her, she shot back, "The wine's better company than you, at least."

Valeria walked up to the bar and took a seat on the stool next to Anita's. "Don't mind if I butt in, then. Don't want you to start making out with it when no one's around. Pour me a glass?"

"It's only out of the kindness of my heart that I share this lovely vintage with you, my dear Valeria," replied Anita with a mocking tone. She reached across the bar to grab another wine glass and poured it for Valeria, regardless. 

Something about Valeria always managed to get under Anita's skin. It had started back when they were both studying in Karakan. The two of them were the top students of Roundier at the time, but somehow Valeria was always just one step ahead of Anita. One bit better at forms, one step faster in movement, one level more diligent, one more... everything than her. Anita had tried to suppress the jealousy for months, but couldn't hold it in any longer and challenged Valeria to a fencing duel. 

Which she lost resoundingly. 

After that, things just kept escalating. Anita demanded, and won, a rematch, after extensive training, but Valeria had taken notice of Anita's drive and couldn't handle the defeat any more than Anita could. So Valeria had trained, again just a bit harder than Anita ever could, and won. And won. And won. And kept winning every single time they matched up again. And now Anita was obsessed over becoming better than Valeria. While Valeria had joined the Scarlet Moon Empire after they finished their training, Anita had gone on a journey of self improvement to try to find some edge, any edge, over Valeria. But she found that no matter what she did, however much she tried, Valeria was always there in presence. If Anita wasn't thinking of how to beat Valeria while lying in bed with her latest romantic conquest, she was hearing Valeria's praises sung about her successes in the Toran Liberation War. And now, here they were together again. No matter what she tried, Anita couldn't escape Valeria's shadow.

"What's the matter? Can't handle even a bit of wine?" Valeria's voice jolted Anita out of her daze.

Caught offguard, Anita flushed bright red. Damn, she thought to herself, this wine really is getting to me. "Nothing, it's just the usual vim and verve your presence fills me with."

"Ah, so that's how it is," Valeria responded with a chuckle. Anita noticed Valeria's light brown hair slightly falling out of place and a few strands moving across her eyes. "Jealous of me again, huh? Shouldn't you be training if you want to beat me?"

The trading of barbs. It was like being back in Kanakan again. "I've done more in the last month than you've done in the last year. If we fought, I bet I'd win handily this time around."

"I know what you've been doing for the last year, and it's not training, if you know what I mean." Anita could feel Valeria's eyes - had she ever noticed they were brown before? And such a lovely shade. Just another way Valeria was better - boring into her. 

"Don't knock it before you've tried it. Have you even tried it? With anyone?" Anita hadn't meant to get personal, but her pulse just kept quickening, and the wine was muddling her thought, and she could barely stop it at this point.

"N-no, but that's beside the point." Anita could see Valeria's soft lips trembling. "If I wanted to, I could easily find someone to be with, anyways. Unlike you, who can't hold a single boyfriend for longer than a month."

Something in Anita snapped. She slammed her glass onto the counter and stood up from her stool. She couldn't stop herself from shouting at Valeria, "Have you considered maybe I didn't want any of them?"

Valeria couldn't resist the challenge (she never could) and stood up from her stool as well, getting in Anita's face. "Then what the hell were you even doing with them? What are you doing with your life?"

"I'm trying to make you fucking jealous, don't you see?!" Anita yelled. "Make you finally fucking notice me!"

"Jealous of what?! A bunch of drinking and sleeping around?! A bunch of guys you dumped?!" Valeria raised her voice - her deep, resonant voice - to match Anita's, and go one notch louder.

"Do you even know why I dumped them?!"

"Why?! Tell me! I'd love to hear your excuses!"

"Because none of them were as good as you!"

For the second time in her entire life, Anita had caught Valeria off balance. Valeria's face went blank, and Anita felt her heart racing. Did she really just say that?

A few seconds later that felt like a lifetime, Valeria finally whispered, "What?"

"None of them were as good as you, Valeria." Anita said it again, her voice returning to normal levels. "Everything I've ever done... it's been to impress you, to get you to notice me. Respect me as an equal, you know? And I thought it was just a fighting thing, that I couldn't take you being better than me in swordsmanship, but..." Anita took a deep breath. "I think I'm realizing now that it wasn't just a rivalry thing. I've been obsessed with you since school, Valeria. I've compared everything in my life to you, because you're... all that I've ever wanted."

Valeria sat down again, and Anita followed her in turn. Valeria shook her head for a second, running her hand - wearing those white gloves she always wore, Anita noticed - through her hair. "I - I don't know what to say, Anita. Is this real? Do you really mean that?"

Anita nodded, dazed herself. "I've never actually formed the whole thought before, but yeah. I think so."

Valeria took a deep breath - Anita watched her chest fill up - and let it out - and sink back again. "I didn't expect to hear that tonight," she said with a small chuckle - Anita realized now that she loved the sound of Valeria's laugh, far more than her own. 

Anita took a breath of her own. "Sometimes emotions just come out, you know? The wine probably helped with that," she said with a vague gesture towards the bottle. 

Valeria took Anita's gesturing hand in one of her own - Anita felt her face flush red at the feel of Valeria's gloves on her skin - and rested it on the bar, still holding it softly. "Anita..." Valeria said, trailing off. "You've always been wittier than me, at least. I could never express myself as readily as you can," she finally continued, with a smile. 

Anita couldn't even manage a whole thought, let alone a response.

"I really do think you're being too harsh on yourself, Anita. We've been a lot closer than you think for a long time. Even in our duels... they've all been close. I've only ever won by a hair. And even beyond that, you've gone out, seen the world, lived life... you've already done a lot more than me, and I'm sorry for trying to mock that. And... when I left for the Scarlet Moon Empire, and you went on your journey... I really missed you, Anita," and Valeria smiled once more.

If Anita couldn't muster a thought earlier, she couldn't even breathe now.

"I really enjoyed being with you, Anita. You're fun, entertaining, kind, caring, witty, and you drive me to new heights with everything you do. I've always noticed you, Anita. Even at our most acrimonious, I always thought of you as one of my best friends." Valeria paused, and shook her head. "Well, one of my best friends that I hated. Friends are complicated like that."

Anita took her free hand to take a sip of the remaining wine in her glass, before finally replying to Valeria. "I hate to push this now, when things are so fragile, but... life's full of opportunities you only have one shot at, you know?"

Valeria nodded. "And you've always been the one to take them."

"So... can I kiss you?"

Valeria nodded. "Go for it."

And Anita leaned in, and kissed Valeria. It was a soft, slow kiss. And in her traditional way, Valeria kissed better than anyone ever could.

Anita finally pulled back, in the end. "So... can this be a thing? Can we... try this?"

"I don't see why not. If you want to try, I'm not going to let you get the best of me."

Anita smiled. She felt a new energy flowing through her body. It felt like it always did when Valeria was around, but now... happier. More lively. More fulfilling. "I'm not going to make it easy on you, you know. We're going to have a better relationship than anyone else could possibly have."

"Sounds like a challenge I'll take." Valeria finally let go of Anita's hand - she had never noticed they had still been holding hands. "How about we finish that wine off together?"

"That's a great plan if I've ever heard one." Anita poured another glass for herself and Valeria, before raising her own in a toast. "To new challenges."

"And new opportunities."

They clinked their glasses, and commemorated the first day of the new phase of their relationship.


End file.
